Home Theatre System Advice

[DelTacoWaco]

Hi guys,

So I want to upgrade my home audio setup from what it is now which is quite dated (read TV speakers for TV, and 2 big floor speakers in the lounge for music). Without knowing much at all about this, what I'm looking for is:
- speakers for the TV (should I go for those column speakers that sit beside it or more of a surround sound setup?)
- Some sort of amplifier? that lets me play CD's, has a phone dock and maybe an mp3 input
- A record player (my records are a bit scratched from my younger years, is there a way to get around this?)
- A speaker setup for the reasonably large (~300 square feet) lounge for playing music
- Ideally this entire setup would be as unobtrusive as possible and under $500NZD (~$330USD) but this is a very rough guide as I don't really have any idea of the costs, and could probably stretch to $1000ish for something really good

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any advice I get.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

Ok, so you have 2 big floorstander speakers for music, i would say keep them for that. Any small home theater system with small satellite speakers is not going to give the same well rounded sound. Do you already have a record player and amp for them? again, if you do, keep them for just that, especially if your budget is $500 NZ.

For $500NZ, your really only just going to get a decent HT receiver, with no speakers. I dont know what stores you have available to you, but looking at jb hi-fi NZ i couldnt find anything good under $1000.
this was what i found that is reasonable:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/sony/5-1-speaker-av-receiver-pack-sku-278493/
If your willing to do the soundbar thing (however much i cringe at anything in "bar" form), this is decent:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/sony/htct380-soundbar-sku-293632/

If you have other stores avaiable to purchase from let us know and we might be able to help you to select something.

 

[DelTacoWaco]

Ok, so you have 2 big floorstander speakers for music, i would say keep them for that. Any small home theater system with small satellite speakers is not going to give the same well rounded sound. Do you already have a record player and amp for them? again, if you do, keep them for just that, especially if your budget is $500 NZ.

For $500NZ, your really only just going to get a decent HT receiver, with no speakers. I dont know what stores you have available to you, but looking at jb hi-fi NZ i couldnt find anything good under $1000.
this was what i found that is reasonable:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/sony/5-1-speaker-av-receiver-pack-sku-278493/
If your willing to do the soundbar thing (however much i cringe at anything in "bar" form), this is decent:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/sony/htct380-soundbar-sku-293632/

If you have other stores avaiable to purchase from let us know and we might be able to help you to select something.

I do have an amp for the two speakers but it is quite old and could probably do with replacing but it isn't necessary as it does still work. Was mainly looking to replace the floor speakers because of their bulk and 'aged' appearance, with something like a few smaller speakers in the top corners of the room (surround sound for music + tv?), but if that's to much to ask on a small budget then no problems with keeping them. I don't currently have a record player but would like to get one assuming there is a way to play them without negative effects from any scratches (a big ask I know). As far as places in NZ there's Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, PBTech that I know of, but if I can narrow down what to look for then I can do that research myself.

 

[americanaudiophile]

The shops you link to are not likely to have anything that will sound as good as your old setup. Maybe these guys can help
http/www.hi-fi.co.nz/
1. You can connect your TV to your old receiver (you might need an adapter or DAC to do this).
2. You can connect your phone to the receiver with a cable for mp3 playback.
3. If you have a DVD or BD player you can use that to play cds (if they don't have analog out then you can get an HDMI audio extractor).
4. Pick up a used TT and maybe a new phono cartridge. Nothing you can do about the scratches but you will have some money left to buy replacement LPs for your favorites.
If you start this way you can take your time and find some speakers that sound good to you that will also look better than your old school boxes.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I do have an amp for the two speakers but it is quite old and could probably do with replacing but it isn't necessary as it does still work. Was mainly looking to replace the floor speakers because of their bulk and 'aged' appearance, with something like a few smaller speakers in the top corners of the room (surround sound for music + tv?), but if that's to much to ask on a small budget then no problems with keeping them. I don't currently have a record player but would like to get one assuming there is a way to play them without negative effects from any scratches (a big ask I know). As far as places in NZ there's Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, PBTech that I know of, but if I can narrow down what to look for then I can do that research myself.

Ok, just so you know, those little speakers that sit up in corners don't sound very good (not even the overpriced bose ones) when compared to floorstanding speakers or even 2 way bookshelf speakers. I picked up a cheap pioneer home theatre in box that came from jb hi-fi and the small speakers sounded quite rubbish, the crossover frequency needs to be quite high (150-200hz) so your ears can pinpoint when the sound gets sent to the sub. I mainly got it because it was only $200 at the time and i had other speakers to use, just wanted the amp really. I have moved into a smaller place now and am using them again and they are very frustrating to listen to sometimes. I managed to get a whole lot of polyfill and stuffed the cubes and the sub with it and it's now tolerable, but i sit listening to it wanting my floor-standers back. So even if you can get a system with some moderately sized bookshelf speakers (not the little cube speakers) that can get down to 80hz and crossover to a subwoofer at that lower frequency i would highly recommend doing that.

found something interesting, will be blowing your budget but this might do you, but doesnt leave anything in the budget for a record player:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/speakers/wharfedale/5-1-channel-high-end-speaker-pack-sku-23885/
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/receiver/sherwood/5-1-channel-home-theatre-receiver-sku-31315/

or some decent more inconspicuous floorstanders that are a good price:
http/www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/speakers/wharfedale/crystal-floorstand-speakers-sku-270398/

or this might work, you could upgrade the speakers at a later date, i would see if you can go into HN to try them before buying though. Particularly with music, where the small speakers often fall short. You can get a turntable and a preamp that will suit any amp, jbhifi sell them.
http/www.harveynorman.co.nz/tv-and-audio/blu-ray-and-home-theatre/home-theatre-systems/yamaha-5.1-channel-home-theatre-system-en-2.html

 

[DelTacoWaco]

Ok thanks guys, sounds like my best option is to stick with the speakers I have and look for a good record player and something for the TV.